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Conditions and loops

Run different modules depending on what's on screen or in a variable, and handle optional screens such as popups.

Advanced, about 8 min

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Most tests follow one path. Sometimes the app doesn't: a welcome popup appears only on first launch, a returning user skips sign-in, or a feature is behind a flag. Optics handles these with three keywords: Detect And Press for optional taps, Condition for branches, and Execute Module for running one module from another.

Tap something only if it appears#

For a popup that may or may not show, Detect And Press waits for the element and taps it if it appears. If it doesn't, the step still passes:

modules/modules.csv
module_name,module_step,param_1,param_2
Launch Birch,Launch App
Launch Birch,Detect And Press,Allow notifications,5
Launch Birch,Detect And Press,Not now,5

The second value is how many seconds to wait (30 by default). Keep it short: the step always waits the full time when the element never appears.

Branch with Condition#

Condition checks one or more conditions in order and runs the module paired with the first one that's true:

Condition, <condition 1>, <module 1>, <condition 2>, <module 2>, …, <otherwise module>

The last module, with no condition in front of it, runs when nothing matched. It's optional.

Branch on what's on screen#

A condition can be a module name. Optics runs that module: if it passes, the condition is true. Write a small module that checks for something, and use it as the test:

modules/modules.csv
module_name,module_step,param_1,param_2,param_3
Is Signed In,Assert Presence,Picked for you,5
Start Shopping,Condition,Is Signed In,Go To Search,Sign In

If the home screen's Picked for you appears within 5 seconds, Optics runs Go To Search. Otherwise it runs Sign In. Put ! in front to flip a condition: Condition,!Is Signed In,Sign In.

Branch on a variable#

A condition can also be an expression that compares variables:

modules/modules.csv
module_name,module_step,param_1,param_2,param_3,param_4,param_5
Choose Flow,Condition,${account_type} == 'business',Business Checkout,${account_type} == 'gift',Gift Checkout,Standard Checkout

Optics puts each variable's value in quotes before checking, so always compare with quoted text: ${account_type} == 'business', ${count} == '3'.

Compare numbers#

Because values are compared as text, ${count} > 5 fails. Compute the comparison with Evaluate first, then check its result:

modules/modules.csv
module_name,module_step,param_1,param_2,param_3
Check Cart,Evaluate,cart_is_big,${count} > 5
Check Cart,Condition,${cart_is_big} == 'True',Offer Free Shipping

Evaluate puts values into the expression without quotes, so ${count} > 5 works there and stores True or False. Declare cart_is_big,placeholder in your elements file for dry runs.

Run one module from another#

Execute Module runs a module's steps as part of another module:

modules/modules.csv
module_name,module_step,param_1
Buy Trail Runners,Execute Module,Sign In
Buy Trail Runners,Execute Module,Search For Shoes
Buy Trail Runners,Press Element,Add to cart

A module name written on its own as a step doesn't run that module. Use Execute Module.

Rules for modules run by these keywords#

Modules run by Condition, Execute Module and Run Loop follow simpler rules than top-level steps:

  • Each element uses only its first value. Fallbacks don't apply.
  • **name=value parameters aren't available.** Give values in order: Assert Presence,Picked for you,5, not timeout_str=5.
  • Their steps don't appear separately in the run tree. A failure message names the step that failed.

If a branch needs fallbacks, give it its own test case instead and choose which test cases run with include and exclude in config.yaml.

See also#